The controversial Casey Anthony lawyer slammed for brashly celebrating her court victory with champagne and a finger up to the public has spoken out in defence of his client, insisting she never killed her two-year-old daughter Caylee.

Cheney Mason, who has used his moment in the limelight following Anthony's dramatic six-week trial to slam those who have dared to criticise the verdict, said he has not 'for one minute' doubted the integrity of his client.

He also took the opportunity to attack the 'stalker' at whom he infamously stuck up his middle finger, saying the man was 'lucky' he was protected at that moment by the walls of the bar he was outside.

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Spotlight: Attorney Cheney Mason has come under fire for his behaviour after the trial

In a spectacular turn of events for a
woman who was facing the death penalty, Casey Anthony was on Tuesday acquitted of charges that she killed her two-year-old daughter Caylee.

The jury at court in Orange County found her not
guilty of first degree murder, aggravated murder and aggravated child
abuse.

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She was found guilty of four lesser charges of lying to police but she will
walk free from from jail on June 16 because of time already served and
good behaviour.

In the wake of furious public backlash to the case's outcome, with repeated death threats sent to Anthony, her parents and her defence team, Mason took the opportunity to speak up for the reviled former murder suspect.

Wink: Mason shares a glance with Casey Anthony during the dramatic six-week trial

Asked if he believed Anthony was innocent, Mason told NBC: 'I do believe her story. I
believed it from the first time I met her. Several weeks before I
formerly was on the team I went to her home, her room where all the
photographs are and talked to her.

'I have never for one minute had
any doubt at all. She did not kill her child. Period.'

He added that while Anthony has a history of lying, he believes her story on Caylee's supposed accidental death was true.

'I don't think her story has changed since the very beginning,' he insisted. 'There's no
question that she told a lot of stories to friends for protective
mechanism and I think we presented evidence for that.'

Uncouth: Mason flicks the bird at a 'stalker', left, while toasting his team's sensational court victory

Casey's
parents George and Cindy, who have been married for 30 years, publicly
supported their daughter from her initial arrest in 2008 to the
start of the murder trial.

But on the opening day in court,
the defence dropped a bombshell that Caylee was never missing but had
drowned in an accident in the family's pool on June 16.

More
shocking was the accusation that George Anthony had sexually abused his
daughter when she was a child, and suggested the dysfunctional
relationship explained Anthony's behaviour after Caylee's death.

Tragic: Two-year-old Caylee died but no one has been convicted of murder

Defence
lawyer Jose Baez suggested this was why Casey had lied so frequently at first - to protect her dysfunctional family.

He said Mr Anthony had a role in disposing the body
and bullied his daughter, who he had molested from aged eight, into
keeping it all secret.

The family have denied the defence's account of events that Caylee drowned in their pool.

In
court, Cindy Anthony dismissed claims that she had left a ladder to the
pool in place and George Anthony denied that he had ever sexually
abused his daughter.

Mason insisted that Casey has, in fact, coped remarkably well under huge stress.

'She's under a lot of pressure,' he told NBC. 'Just imagine 23 hours a day for three years [in a solitary cell]. Most people would be drooling.

'She's a very intelligent person. And independent.

'We tried to keep her emotions down which is pretty
hard to do when your family is testifying against you and people are
calling for your blood like a lynch mob.'

The attorney added that he was afraid for her safety in the wake of the trial.

Asked where she would go after her release next weekend, he said: 'I don't know and if I did I wouldn't tell you.'

He added: 'We're all concerned about her safety and her future. I don't know that anything is ever beyond repair. [but] I think with her parents that's pretty well burned.

Appearance: Cheney Mason made the comments in defence of Casey Anthony

'It's as much her country as anybody else's. She just needs some time and counselling and to be reintroduced into society.'

Mason came under fire last week for celebrating the court victory with a champagne party at a local bar.

In an apparent moment of madness, he turned to one camera pointed at him and rudely flipped his middle finger.

Instead
of defending the action, however, Mason said he was gesturing towards a
'stalker' who he threatened was lucky he did not come out to confront
him properly.

Torn apart: Casey Anthony, left, has become estranged from mum Cindy after allegations of rape and incest

Behind bars: Casey Anthony will walk free from Orange County jail on Sunday 17 July

'My frustrations were not with the news media itself or in general,' he explained.

'There
was one particular stalker that had been stalking our defence team
morning noon and night every day of the trial, yelling obsenities and
threatening and trying to embarrass and expose Mr Baez, myself and the
others on the team.

'[He] went so far as to even ask some of the women on our team on the street if they were on their periods.

'That little non-human person deserved what he got and he's fortunate he wasn't in the room,' he added.